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Old 07-02-2011, 03:27 AM
HorseSoldier HorseSoldier is offline
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Does the organisation and equipment look about right to everyone? Bear in mind they are designed as a raiding force. I probably need to add an anti-tank capability (maybe TOW on the HMMWV). Of the top of my head assume two vehicles per section, 1 with MG(s) and 1 with TOW (Mk19 could replace either).
If they're motorized, I'd say gun them up.

Maybe sections of three vehicles -- two gun trucks, and one cargo humvee being used as a squad carrier. Three man crews on the two gun trucks (possibly augmented by medics, FOs, TACPs, translators, guides, whatever), plus six men on the squad carrier (driver, gunner, plus four man fire team, with the FT leader as vehicle commander when mounted).

Gun trucks with one 50 cal and one Mk-19, and a mounted and dismounted M240 or M60 for the squad carrier. At least in theory one or two Javelins per section, plus AT4s for the dismounts. Practically, they're probably a fan of RPG-7s later in the war like most everyone else in NATO, and possibly are using captured Pact ATGMs or recoilless rifles, etc.

Three of those sections per platoons, with PL and PSG each leading one of them, plus a truck with a 60mm or maybe 81mm mortar crew on it, for a total strength of 40 pax per platoon. Gives a mix of options somewhat like a light version of the old armored cav platoons where you had tanks, scout tracks, an infantry squad, and a mortar carrier all organic to the platoon.

The one other issue I'd see as presented is that these guys simply aren't survivable on a 1997 central European battlefield. The density of enemy AFVs, artillery, and everything else just makes it a non-starter. The US had been steadily moving further and further away from sending a gun truck out onto the German battlefield for decades. I don't think these guys will be able to effectively accomplish anything pre-nuke that the division cavalry squadron can't do better and more survivably.

Now, post-nuke when things start to fall apart, I think a niche for a light cavalry raiding force (which is what these guys are effectively, if they're motorized) emerges. The troop density on the battlefield thins out, even more so AFVs and red air and everything else that makes them non-survivable in the opening phases of the war. Plus you have additional targets emerging like marauders who a fast, light but well armed flying column can go after seriously.

With things getting more static, and air mobility fading fast, these guys start to have an effective mission harassing the other side and screening friendly positions while the bulk of a unit are getting crops in or out of the ground and that sort of thing. With the war kind of becoming more low intensity,

I'm possibly biased and such, but the more I think about it, the more I'd probably have these guys organized post-nuke and becoming D Troop of their respective divisional cavalry squadrons (assuming any surviving air frames are consolidated into C Troop). They might become a separate unit later in the war if/when their respective division converts their cavalry to horse mobility, or might be retained under squadron administrative control and OPCON'ed to brigade or higher S-2 as needed.
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